Medical marijuana ballot issue may draw new voters

Getting young people engaged in politics is never easy, but voter-registration volunteers say the medical-marijuana amendment on November's ballot is attracting new voters who otherwise might not bother with a midterm election.

Both political parties for more than a year have been knocking on doors to energize supporters who might be lured to the polls by a heated governor's race. Democrats are especially eager to avoid the usual big drop-off of turnout in nonpresidential elections, which tends to hurt their party's candidates.

But the wild card this year — the factor most likely to motivate new voters — appears to be the marijuana measure, along with another constitutional amendment that would provide special state funding to conserve environmentally sensitive land.

"Young people are very unfamiliar with other elections going on but have heard about the medical-marijuana amendment and are excited to have an opportunity to vote for that," said Anna Eskamani, 23, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters who recruited passers-by at a farmers' market in Orlando last week.

"It's definitely going to be a hot topic that will get young people out and, of course, encourage them to vote on other things as well."

The proposed amendment would legalize marijuana for patients diagnosed with debilitating health problems. Although it would directly affect a relatively small number of people, it has drawn widespread interest because many voters see it leading to a broader decriminalization of marijuana. A recent statewide poll by Quinnipiac University found that 88 percent of voters supported it.

The environmental amendment would devote a portion of state excise taxes to conserving land and wildlife.

"It has to do with drinking water and protecting our rivers and lakes and the Everglades. That's an issue a lot people do feel strongly about," said Lynne Joshi, president of the League of Women Voters in Broward County. "With the amendments, we have a chance, especially with the younger people, for more people to turn out."

A League forum in West Palm Beach last month to discuss the environmental amendment drew enough voters to fill a school auditorium.

"There are always those voters who would not come out and do such a thing until they feel there's a direct effect on them," said Geanine Wester, the League president in Palm Beach County.

If the parties and registration groups succeed, the 2014 election will buck a seesaw trend in Florida marked by wild swings in turnout rates among registered voters. Turnout soared from 47 percent in the 2006 midterm election to 75 percent in the 2008 presidential election. The rate plunged to 49 percent in the 2010 midterms, then rose to 72 percent in the 2012 presidential election.

Most registration campaigns target young adults and Hispanics because they are the most inclined to vote in presidential-election years but skip midterms.

"In parts of Orlando, Osceola County and South Florida, you don't see a drop-off, you see a plunge," said Christian Ulvert, political director of the Florida Democratic Party. "You see turnout in areas with high Hispanic voters go from 88 percent in a presidential year down to 25 or 26 percent in a gubernatorial year."

The party is trying to counter the trend by emphasizing the importance of midterm elections.

The Democratic National Committee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, also has hired Zach Learner, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, to head a Voter Expansion Project designed to help overcome voter confusion and perceived barriers. He will lead a small army of volunteer lawyers to educate people about voting methods — such as early voting, mail-in voting and provisional ballots — and to safeguard their rights at polling places.

Many volunteers were inspired by the tumultuous 2000 presidential election, decided in Florida after five weeks of recounts and disputes.

"I saw what happened in 2000, and I became concerned that citizens were either not going to be able to vote or might not understand what they needed to do to allow them to vote," said Jason B. Blank, of Fort Lauderdale, a volunteer attorney ready to advise voters who run into problems.

Republicans, meanwhile, are culling through vast amounts of data on Floridians to spot potential like-minded voters who might be inclined to support Scott. They call it "the largest micro-targeting project in Florida history."

"It's millions of data points on voters that have been assembled, and it can help predict which voters are likely to support the governor," said Susan Hepworth, communications director for the state Republicans.

Even a slight increase in registration and turnout could tip the results of a close election.

"On the margins, the marijuana amendment may bring people to the polls who normally wait till there's a presidential candidate on the ballot," said Daniel Smith, political science professor at the University of Florida. "It may only be a couple of percentage points, but that could make all the difference."